This guide will assist non-citizen immigrants and mixed-status families concerned about the crackdown underway by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The information — we’re publishing in both Spanish and English — includes links to organizations that can provide guidance. Please download and share this guide as a starter reference for free help, and seek legal advice as needed.
1. How to identify ICE vehicles and agents:
ICE vehicles are often not marked with a logo. Agents may be using unmarked cars with tinted windows and without license plates; they often travel in newer model American SUVs such as Chevy Tahoes.
ICE agents often wear plain clothes with black bulletproof vests. They may lead you to believe they’re local police or probation officers and even wear a garment that says “POLICE.”
If you think ICE is present in your community, don’t spread rumors that create panic. Call or text the NorCal Resist Rapid Response Network at (916) 382-0256 and it will verify if it’s ICE, and if it is, provide appropriate community notification.
2. What ICE agents will and will not do:
Badges and Masks: There is no law requiring ICE agents to display their badges, even when brandishing a weapon. They are only required to have a badge in their possession. Neither do any laws prevent ICE agents from covering their faces. ICE says this policy protects the identity of agents to keep them from being doxxed or otherwise harassed.
Night raids: ICE generally does not conduct raids in the middle of the night but may start as early as 4 a.m., when most people are still sleeping. Most raids are conducted before 7 a.m.
Tricks to gain access: ICE agents are allowed to create a ruse or tell lies to trick a person into cooperating. Agents may misrepresent themselves — even as utility workers — and create false reasons for needing to enter a home. The Immigrant Defense Project explains such tactics at: ICE Ruses – Immigrant Defense Project.
3. What to do if ICE knocks on your door or stops you in a car:
At the door: The ACLU of Southern California notes that you are not required to open your door unless immigration agents have a warrant. Officers can slip a warrant underneath the door, giving you the chance to distinguish whether it’s an arrest or search warrant. Don’t lie to or run from or obstruct officers, the ACLU says.
In a car: ICE locates people by obtaining DMV records, such as car registrations and license plate numbers. If you are pulled over while driving, you may be asked for your driver’s license. The Immigrant Defense Project says in detailed guidelines: “ICE pulled over my car. What are my rights”?
4. What ICE actions are legal around federal courthouses?
As of January 2025, ICE agents will make arrests in courthouses if they have “credible information,” including persons who are complying with all legal requirements.
Do not accompany another person inside a courthouse if ICE may also be looking for you. As of May, non-citizens “such as family members accompanying the target alien to court appearances, or serving as a witness in a proceeding, may be subject to immigration enforcement action.”
If you have a court date and think you could be targeted, you can call the Rapid Response hotline and ask for an escort. NorCal Resist observers can’t prevent arrests, but they could help locate a detained person in the system or begin the work to get the person released: (916) 382-0256.
5. How to network with pro-immigration organization:
NorCal Resist: Join a Migra Watch training and consider joining the Rapid Response Network once trained. The Network verifies whether ICE is present in a given neighborhood. NorCal Resist announces new trainings in English via Zoom every two weeks on its website and its “Get Involved” page is here.
NorCal Resist also conducts brake light repair clinics and other events that support immigrant communities and accepts donations in support of a bail fund and other programs.
Sacramento & Chico chapters: https://www.norcalresist.org/
Northern Valley Catholic Social Services: NVCSS runs know-your-rights Spanish-language workshops in churches. Call (800) 846-1451.
6. Information and free assistance:
Area Congregations Together or ACT is a good regional source for information and legal referrals. Its “Know Your Rights” link provides a 60-page downloadable information packet in Spanish that also lists immigration lawyers, charities and non-profit organizations that can help: Conozca Sus Derechos/Know Your Rights — Sacramento ACT.
Rapid Response Network represents Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba counties and other northern rural areas. Seek help for someone detained or report ICE activity within the last 24 hours on the bilingual hotline (916) 382-0256. More information is available on the Sacramento Rapid Response Network web page.
Immigrant Legal Resources Center has a website resource page for finding an immigration lawyer. It also has downloadable “red cards” explaining rights for individuals confronted by law enforcement. Visit the ILRC’s Community Resources page.
UC Davis King Hall Immigration Clinic at (530) 752-6942 provides assistance and sometimes representation for detained immigrants in immigration court, according to its website.
Legal Services of Northern California assists individuals with low income and/or limited English-speaking skills. It helps with naturalization, green card renewal and visas for undocumented people. In Chico call 530-345-9491. Its website, serving 23 counties, is here.
Northern Valley Catholic Social Services (NVCSS) runs a legal immigration service by appointment but does not handle asylum cases. Contact Spanish-speaking staff by calling 530-649-3405 or 530-824-4039. NVCSS serves six counties and has offices in Chico, Oroville, Red Bluff, Corning and elsewhere.
7. Advice for bystanders and journalists who witness ICE operations
ICE agents are instructed not to talk to journalists but to refer them to their field office director. Neither will they talk to bystanders unless ordering them to stay back or referring them to an official spokesperson.
Any individual can legally film or record ICE activities in public, where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy. Stay clear and do not interfere. But consider your own risk level, as filming from a close distance can escalate the situation.
8. For those who want to lawfully assist undocumented people
Filming, pictures and even note-taking can help expose abuses if raids or detentions by ICE are documented, say civil rights groups like the Immigrant Defense Project. In filming an ICE operation:
- Keep your camera trained on the agents and don’t record individuals being targeted or other bystanders. Protect their identities in case of retaliation.
- Do not post video or photos on social media;
- Send video, photos or notes to the Rapid Response Network as soon as possible.
Donate money and/or time: Find a trustworthy non-profit organization and donate or consider volunteering personal time to their efforts. The local groups listed above are a good place to start.
This resource guide was produced in a joint collaboration between ChicoSol and the Chico News & Review. It was supported by funding from “Aquí Estamos/Here We Stand,” a reporting project of American Community Media.
